mostly jumped well, made all, hit 2nd, joined 5 out, quickened before 3 out, ridden after 2 out, over 2 lengths ahead last, ridden and stayed on gamely run-in
raced wide in 5th, closer tracking leading pair 3rd, mistake 8th, close 3rd when bumped after 3 out, ridden and weakened run-in
tracked leaders on inside, went 2nd approaching 3 out, switched sharply right and bumped rival after 3 out, ridden and over 2 lengths down at the last, weakened into 3rd final 100 yards
tracked leaders until lost place 3rd, blundered and almost unseated rider 7th, soon recovered, closer 13th, pushed along after 17th, outpaced before 3 out, rallied on inside and awkward last, ran on and went 2nd final 100 yards, not reach winner
tracked winner, hit 5th, dropped to 4th when bad mistake 3 out, not recover, eased
NonRunner
Yala Enki is the class act as the weights amply demonstrate and he's sure to give it his usual full throttle performance but 11-12 is a considerable burden for the 11-year-old to handle, conceding 12lb and upwards to all rivals. He's also arguably better with give in the ground. Go Another One is a strong Irish raider who's jumped round here before and was far from disgraced at the opening meeting here last month. He'll come on for that and has a leading claim, but EMPIRE DE MAULDE is just the preference, Good ground suits the northern challenger and he impressed with the manner of his Kelso victory last time, suggesting he's on an upward curve and a 5lb rise is workable. The remaining trio all need to improve to contend.
Yala Enki (FR) 40-1 (11-3) Prominent, not fluent 4th, hit 10th, losing places 16th, blundered and unseated rider 20th, at Aintree 4m 2f hcp (1) gs in Apr.
Go Another One (IRE) 11-2 (11-2) Held up towards rear, not fluent 13th, headway 3 out, no extra last, 5th of 11, 17 1/4l behind Definite Plan (10-1) at Cheltenham 3m 1f hcp (2) gd in Oct.
Empire De Maulde (FR) 13-8fav (10-5) Chased leaders, jumped well, pressed front pair going well after 2 out, led before last, driven out flat, always doing enough, won at Kelso 3m 2f hcp (2) gd in Oct beating Big River (10-8) by 3l, 6 ran.
The Mighty Don (IRE) 11-1 (10-13) Mid-division, niggled along after 10th, soon dropped to rear and tailed off, 9th of 13, dist behind Chirico Vallis (10-2) at Chepstow 3m hcp (2) gd in Oct.
Rocky's Treasure (IRE) 7-2 (11-12) Tracked leader, pushed along led briefly 12th, tracked winner, ridden 3 out, weakened next, left poor 2nd approaching last, 2nd of 4, 24l behind Minella Encore (10-12) at Fakenham 3m hcp (3) gd in Oct.
Forza Milan (IRE) 14-1 (11-10) Always towards rear, never a factor, pushed along and no impression after 3 out, no extra when slight mistake last, 7th of 8, 18 1/2l behind Young Fitzy (9-12) at Galway 2m hcp sft in Oct.
